Weed'em & Reap Gardening news

Posted Saturday, August 21, 2010, at 9:05 PM

From the UT Ag web page

Thank you to the sharp eye of John Carney. (T-G) John caught the following news release from the UT Agriculture Research folks and thought our members and other gardeners (who should be members) would enjoy what is being offered.

Hopefully, many of us can take advantage of this. Thanks John.

UT AgResearch Center to Host Fall Gardeners' Festival Aug. 31

CROSSVILLE, Tenn. -- Gardeners should plan to spend a fun-filled day at the University of Tennessee Plateau AgResearch and Education Center on Aug. 31.

From 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. the center will host a Fall Gardeners' Festival, and whether your gardening interests lie along the lines of gardening for beautiful flowers or raising tasty foods, you are sure to find presentations and exhibits of interest.

Sponsored by the Cumberland County Master Gardeners, UT Extension, and the Plateau AgResearch and Education Center, more than nine talks and additional activities will be presented by UT experts and local gardening personalities. Topics include raising better grasses, hydrangeas, gourds, and roses as well as "lasagna gardening," raising vegetables in "tunnels" in cold weather, and gardening by the square foot.

Tours of the center and walks in the center's discovery gardens will also be featured, and the public is invited to visit a special "Ask the Expert" exhibit, where UT entomologists and plant pathologists will be on-hand to answer your questions about plant diseases and pests. Visitors are encouraged to bring plants and pests for identification.

Admission is free, and registration begins at 9:30 a.m. Central time. Snacks and lunch items will be available for purchase throughout the day.

The event will be held at the main unit of the Plateau AgResearch and Education Center on U.S. Hwy. 70N west of Crossville. A map and complete directions are available online at http://plateau.tennessee.edu/location/ For more information, call the center at 931-484-0034.

The Plateau AgResearch and Education Center in Crossville is one of 10 outdoor laboratories located throughout the state as part of the UT AgResearch system. UT AgResearch is a division of the UT Institute of Agriculture. In addition to its agricultural research programs, the UT Institute of Agriculture also provides instruction, research and public service through the UT College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, the UT College of Veterinary Medicine and UT Extension offices in every county in the state.

Steve Mills and his wife have one daughter. They previously owned two coffee/ice cream shops, currently operate an internet sales company and teach classes, but his primary job involves the paper industry worldwide. Hobbies and interests lie in gardening, photography, recorded music and of course, their pets.